Adaptation of Human Skin Color in Various Populations Lian Deng1,2 and Shuhua Xu1,2,3,4*

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Adaptation of Human Skin Color in Various Populations Lian Deng1,2 and Shuhua Xu1,2,3,4* Deng and Xu Hereditas (2018) 155:1 DOI 10.1186/s41065-017-0036-2 REVIEW Open Access Adaptation of human skin color in various populations Lian Deng1,2 and Shuhua Xu1,2,3,4* Abstract Background: Skin color is a well-recognized adaptive trait and has been studied extensively in humans. Understanding the genetic basis of adaptation of skin color in various populations has many implications in human evolution and medicine. Discussion: Impressive progress has been made recently to identify genes associated with skin color variation in a wide range of geographical and temporal populations. In this review, we discuss what is currently known about the genetics of skin color variation. We enumerated several cases of skin color adaptation in global modern humans and archaic hominins, and illustrated why, when, and how skin color adaptation occurred in different populations. Finally, we provided a summary of the candidate loci associated with pigmentation, which could be a valuable reference for further evolutionary and medical studies. Conclusion: Previous studies generally indicated a complex genetic mechanism underlying the skin color variation, expanding our understanding of the role of population demographic history and natural selection in shaping genetic and phenotypic diversity in humans. Future work is needed to dissect the genetic architecture of skin color adaptation in numerous ethnic minority groups around the world, which remains relatively obscure compared with that of major continental groups, and to unravel the exact genetic basis of skin color adaptation. Keywords: Skin color, Natural selection, Genetic adaptation, Modern humans, Archaic hominin Background forms, pheomelanin (yellow-reddish) and eumelanin Since modern humans ventured out of Africa ~100,000 years (black-brown). The former is mainly accumulated in the ago, they spread across continents into a variety of habitats, light-complexioned people, while the latter is mostly from tropical zones to the arctic, and from lowlands produced in the dark-complexioned people [1–5]. In to highlands. During migration, selective pressures in addition, the number and size of melanin particles differ local environments (e.g., the cold climate, hypoxia, among individuals, and is even more important than the and endemic pathogens), together with random drift, proportions of the two forms of melanin in the deter- have resulted in population-specific genetic variants, mination of human skin color [5]. Other skin-related which further influenced variable phenotypes, such as lac- factors, e.g., keratin, also contribute to skin color tose tolerance, height, immune system, and metabolic variation [6, 7]. efficiency. In global populations, skin color is highly correlated Skin color variation is one of the most striking exam- with latitude, and fundamentally, the distribution of ples of human phenotypic diversity. It is dominated by ultraviolet (UV) radiation (Fig. 1). Populations closer to melanin, a pigmentation located in the base of the epi- the equator tend to have dark skin for protection against dermis and produced by melanocytes. Melanin has two UV, since overexposure to UV may decrease folic acid levels [8, 9] and cause skin cancer [10–13]. The lighter * Correspondence: [email protected] skin in populations at higher latitudes is underlying 1Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Max Planck Independent Research Group on Population Genomics, selection to maintain vitamin D photosynthesis, which is CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology (PICB), Shanghai a UV-dependent process [14, 15]. Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS, Shanghai 200031, China Although UV has been assumed to be a driving force 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article for the evolution of human skin colors, understanding © The Author(s). 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Deng and Xu Hereditas (2018) 155:1 Page 2 of 12 Fig. 1 Correlation between skin color and latitude (from Barsh (2003) [5]). (a) A map of human skin color distribution. (b) A plot of skin reflectance against latitude the exact genetic mechanism of selection would be gene identified in European is MC1R [29–31]. This gene is crucial to reconstruct human evolutionary history and expressed in melanocytes and plays a key role in control- elucidate the microevolution of adaptive traits. Describ- ling the switch from pheomelanin to eumelanin [31]. The ing a full picture of regional skin color adaptation in pigmentary phenotypes associated with MC1R has been humans would be challenging because it includes not studied in a wide range of animals [32–34]. Many variants only the genes identified to be under selection, but also have been identified in MC1R, such as rs1805007, the extent to which these genes could explain pheno- rs1805008, and rs3212357 [35, 36], despite its small size typic variation, the interactions and joint effects of (951 bp). Other important European-specific loci include genes, and the way they react to the external environ- rs1393350 in TYR, rs2733831 in TYRP1, and rs1900758 in ments. In this article, we reviewed several cases of skin OCA2 [17, 28, 37–39]. The derived allele frequencies at color adaptation in various populations of modern these loci are high in Europeans but low in Africans and humans and archaic hominins. These cases show the East Asians, which could be a clear signal of positive selec- similarities and differences of mechanisms of skin color tion in Europeans, as indicated by statistical analysis [40]. adaptation across populations, and provide some insights Genes involved in the skin color adaptation in East into human evolutionary history. Asians are not that well studied compared to the long list of adaptive genes identified in Europeans. Notable Skin color adaptation in modern Eurasians examples include OCA2 and MC1R. Each harbors sev- In Europeans, SLC24A5 and SLC45A2 [16–19] are two eral non-synonymous mutations, e.g. rs1800414 and golden genes related to the evolution of the light skin rs74653330 in OCA2, and rs885479 in MC1R [40–43], color. SLC24A5 encodes the NCKX5 protein, which is a which exhibit high derived allele frequencies in East member of the transmembrane protein family and regu- Asians, but low derived allele frequencies in Europeans lates the calcium concentration in the melanosome [16]. and Africans (Fig. 2). The OCA2 protein is thought to This gene has been confirmed to affect pigmentation in be a mature melanosomal membrane protein [44], with zebrafish and mice [16, 20]. Especially, the derived allele a potential role in protein transportation into melano- of rs1426654 in SLC24A5 was found to be nearly fixed somes [45]. The East Asian-specific variant of rs1800414 in Europeans, but almost missing in populations without was first reported in an exome sequencing study aiming any European ancestry (Fig. 2) [21]. A 78-kb haplotype to figure out albinism-related variants [46]. The derived around SLC24A5, which is in linkage disequilibrium with allele at rs1800414 was thought to contribute to the skin rs1426654, was also identified to accumulate in Europeans lightening in an association study of Han Chinese, which [22]. A similar pattern can be observed at rs16891982 measured the skin color of individuals using the melanin in SLC45A2 [23], which has been reported to be asso- index [47]. Another non-synonymous variant in OCA2, ciated with pigmentation in several species, e.g., mice, rs74653330, has also been confirmed to be pigmentation- fish,birds,andhorses[24–26]. Other variants in this related in an association study of Japanese [48]. Additional gene, including rs26722, rs2287949, and rs40132, were examples of East Asian-specific pigmentation-associated also shown to be coloration-associated in Europeans alleles include rs10809814 in TYRP1 and rs1407995 in [23, 27, 28]. Another important pigmentation-related DCT [40, 49], both of which show differentiation between Deng and Xu Hereditas (2018) 155:1 Page 3 of 12 Fig. 2 Evolutionary model of human pigmentation in three continental populations. The rooted tree shows the genetic phylogeny of human populations from Africa, North Europe and East Asia, with the colors of the branches roughly indicating the generalized skin pigmetation level of these populations (adapted from McEvoy et al. (2006) [39]). Genetic loci reported to be under positive selection in the common ancestor of modern Eurasians are represented by rs1881227 in KITLG, and those independently evolved in Europeans and East Asians, indicating possible convergent evolution, are represented by rs12913832 in OCA2 and rs885479 in MC1R, respectively. The maps of allele frequency were drawn using R (version 3.2.1, https://www.r-project.org), based on these loci in 53 global populations provided by the Human Genome Diversity Panel CEPH (HGDP, http:// www.hagsc.org/hgdp/index.html). Blue and red colors denote the ancestral and derived alleles, respectively Asians and non-Asians [47], and strong signals of positive is located at 326 kb upstream to the transcription start selections in Asians [43, 49]. site of KITLG. At this variant, the ancestral allele Despite distinct genes and variants under respective frequency is over 90% in Africans, comparable to the local adaptations in Europeans and East Asians, some derived allele frequency in Europeans and East Asians genes have derived alleles reaching high frequencies in (Fig. 2). Similar patterns were observed in other genes, both continental groups. For instance, KITLG exhibits a e.g., ASIP and BNC2 [39].
Recommended publications
  • Approximating Selective Sweeps
    Approximating Selective Sweeps by Richard Durrett and Jason Schweinsberg Dept. of Math, Cornell U. Corresponding Author: Richard Durrett Dept. of Mathematics 523 Malott Hall Cornell University Ithaca NY 14853 Phone: 607-255-8282 FAX: 607-255-7149 email: [email protected] 1 ABSTRACT The fixation of advantageous mutations in a population has the effect of reducing varia- tion in the DNA sequence near that mutation. Kaplan, Hudson, and Langley (1989) used a three-phase simulation model to study the effect of selective sweeps on genealogies. However, most subsequent work has simplified their approach by assuming that the number of individ- uals with the advantageous allele follows the logistic differential equation. We show that the impact of a selective sweep can be accurately approximated by a random partition created by a stick-breaking process. Our simulation results show that ignoring the randomness when the number of individuals with the advantageous allele is small can lead to substantial errors. Key words: selective sweep, hitchhiking, coalescent, random partition, paintbox construction 2 When a selectively favorable mutation occurs in a population and is subsequently fixed (i.e., its frequency rises to 100%), the frequencies of alleles at closely linked loci are altered. Alleles present on the chromosome on which the original mutation occurred will tend to increase in frequency, and other alleles will decrease in frequency. Maynard Smith and Haigh (1974) referred to this as the ‘hitchhiking effect,’ because an allele can get a lift in frequency from selection acting on a neighboring allele. They considered a situation with a neutral locus with alleles A and a and a second locus where allele B has a fitness of 1 + s relative to b.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Approach for Using Genome Scans to Detect Recent Positive Selection in the Human Genome
    PLoS BIOLOGY A New Approach for Using Genome Scans to Detect Recent Positive Selection in the Human Genome Kun Tang1*, Kevin R. Thornton2, Mark Stoneking1 1 Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany, 2 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America Genome-wide scanning for signals of recent positive selection is essential for a comprehensive and systematic understanding of human adaptation. Here, we present a genomic survey of recent local selective sweeps, especially aimed at those nearly or recently completed. A novel approach was developed for such signals, based on contrasting the extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH) profiles between populations. We applied this method to the genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data of both the International HapMap Project and Perlegen Sciences, and detected widespread signals of recent local selection across the genome, consisting of both complete and partial sweeps. A challenging problem of genomic scans of recent positive selection is to clearly distinguish selection from neutral effects, given the high sensitivity of the test statistics to departures from neutral demographic assumptions and the lack of a single, accurate neutral model of human history. We therefore developed a new procedure that is robust across a wide range of demographic and ascertainment models, one that indicates that certain portions of the genome clearly depart from neutrality. Simulations of positive selection showed that our tests have high power towards strong selection sweeps that have undergone fixation. Gene ontology analysis of the candidate regions revealed several new functional groups that might help explain some important interpopulation differences in phenotypic traits.
    [Show full text]
  • Beware, Red Heads Don't Numb!
    Research Article Published: 08 Mar, 2019 Journal of Ophthalmology Forecast Beware, Red Heads Don’t Numb! Matthews JM*, Petrykowski B and Davidorf F Havener Eye Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, USA Abstract Background: The use of topical anesthesia in the outpatient setting by Ophthalmologists has seen a dramatic increase since the development of antivegf medications. Each year, there are an estimated 6-7 million anti-vegf injections performed in the United States. People with red hair have a mutation of the MC1R gene, which has been associated with decreased effectiveness of local anesthesia. The purpose of this communication is to alert the ophthalmology community of potential for inadequate anesthesia for intraocular injections Methods: IRB was obtained through OSU IRB. 175 patients receiving intravitreal injections were randomly surveyed to determine incidence of poor analgesia with injections. Results: Overall, 19/175 patients were found to have decreased effectiveness of local anesthesia. We found a surprisingly high incidence (10.5%) of patients who require increased amounts of local anesthesia than is commonly used in those with natural red/auburn hair. Conclusion: We encourage ophthalmologists who use local anesthesia for their patients to include an assessment of their response to dental anesthesia. These individuals need to be identified who have had previously bad experiences with poor responses to local anesthesia. We recommend using twice the amount of topical anesthesia in these patients. Keywords: Intravitreal injections; MC1R Gene; Red hair; VEGF; Topical anesthesia Introduction The use of topical anesthesia in the outpatient setting by Ophthalmologists has seen a dramatic increase since the development of antivegf medications.
    [Show full text]
  • Refining the Use of Linkage Disequilibrium As A
    HIGHLIGHTED ARTICLE | INVESTIGATION Refining the Use of Linkage Disequilibrium as a Robust Signature of Selective Sweeps Guy S. Jacobs,*,†,1 Timothy J. Sluckin,* and Toomas Kivisild‡ *Mathematical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom, †Complexity Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637723, and ‡Department of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QH, United Kingdom ORCID IDs: 0000-0002-4698-7758 (G.S.J.); 0000-0002-9163-0061 (T.J.S.); 0000-0002-6297-7808 (T.K.) ABSTRACT During a selective sweep, characteristic patterns of linkage disequilibrium can arise in the genomic region surrounding a selected locus. These have been used to infer past selective sweeps. However, the recombination rate is known to vary substantially along the genome for many species. We here investigate the effectiveness of current (Kelly’s ZnS and vmax) and novel statistics at inferring hard selective sweeps based on linkage disequilibrium distortions under different conditions, including a human-realistic demographic model and recombination rate variation. When the recombination rate is constant, Kelly’s ZnS offers high power, but is outperformed by a novel statistic that we test, which we call Za: We also find this statistic to be effective at detecting sweeps from standing variation. When recombination rate fluctuations are included, there is a considerable reduction in power for all linkage disequilibrium-based statistics. However, this can largely be reversed by appropriately controlling for expected linkage disequilibrium using a genetic map. To further test these different methods, we perform selection scans on well-characterized HapMap data, finding that all three statistics—vmax; Kelly’s ZnS; and Za—are able to replicate signals at regions previously identified as selection candidates based on population differentiation or the site frequency spectrum.
    [Show full text]
  • Consequences of Eye Color, Positioning, and Head Movement for Eye-Tracking Data Quality in Infant Research
    THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF INFANT STUDIES Infancy, 20(6), 601–633, 2015 Copyright © International Congress of Infant Studies (ICIS) ISSN: 1525-0008 print / 1532-7078 online DOI: 10.1111/infa.12093 Consequences of Eye Color, Positioning, and Head Movement for Eye-Tracking Data Quality in Infant Research Roy S. Hessels Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University and Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University Richard Andersson Eye Information Group, IT University of Copenhagen and Department of Philosophy & Cognitive Science Lund University Ignace T. C. Hooge Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute Utrecht University Marcus Nystrom€ Humanities Laboratory Lund University Chantal Kemner Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University and Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University and Brain Center Rudolf Magnus University Medical Centre Utrecht Correspondence should be sent to Roy S. Hessels, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected] 602 HESSELS ET AL. Eye tracking has become a valuable tool for investigating infant looking behavior over the last decades. However, where eye-tracking methodology and achieving high data quality have received a much attention for adult participants, it is unclear how these results generalize to infant research. This is particularly important as infants behave different from adults in front of the eye tracker. In this study, we investigated whether eye physiology, posi- tioning, and infant behavior affect measures of eye-tracking data quality: accuracy, precision, and data loss. We report that accuracy and precision are lower, and more data loss occurs for infants with bluish eye color com- pared to infants with brownish eye color.
    [Show full text]
  • DERMATOLOGISTS SHARE SKIN CARE TIPS for PEOPLE with VITILIGO June Is Vitiligo Awareness Month
    DERMATOLOGISTS SHARE SKIN CARE TIPS FOR PEOPLE WITH VITILIGO June is Vitiligo Awareness Month ROSEMONT, Ill. (June 11, 2019) — Millions of people worldwide have vitiligo, a condition that causes the skin to lose its natural color, resulting in patches of light skin. Although the white or light patches do not typically cause other symptoms, the condition can cause low self-esteem and depression in patients—of whom nearly half develop vitiligo before the age of 21. Although there is no cure for vitiligo, dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology say there is a lot patients can do at home to make vitiligo less visible and help prevent the condition from spreading. “Many people with vitiligo do not have any other signs or symptoms and feel completely healthy,” says board-certified dermatologist Anisha Patel, MD, FAAD. “However, the change in appearance caused by vitiligo can affect people emotionally, especially those who are younger and more concerned about their appearance. The good news is that there are things patients can do at home to make the condition more manageable.” To help vitiligo patients care for their skin, Dr. Patel recommends the following tips: 1. Protect your skin from the sun. Exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays increases your risk of skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form. Since vitiligo skin can burn more easily, it’s important to protect your skin whenever you’re outdoors. To do this, seek shade, wear protective clothing—including a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses—and apply sunscreen to all areas of the body not covered by clothing.
    [Show full text]
  • Oculocutaneous Albinism, a Family Matter Summer Moon, DO,* Katherine Braunlich, DO,** Howard Lipkin, DO,*** Annette Lacasse, DO***
    Oculocutaneous Albinism, A Family Matter Summer Moon, DO,* Katherine Braunlich, DO,** Howard Lipkin, DO,*** Annette LaCasse, DO*** *Dermatology Resident, 3rd year, Botsford Hospital Dermatology Residency Program, Farmington Hills, MI **Traditional Rotating Intern, Largo Medical Center, Largo, FL ***Program Director, Botsford Hospital Dermatology Residency Program, Farmington Hills, MI Disclosures: None Correspondence: Katherine Braunlich, DO; [email protected] Abstract Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a group of autosomal-recessive conditions characterized by mutations in melanin biosynthesis with resultant absence or reduction of melanin in the melanocytes. Herein, we present a rare case of two Caucasian sisters diagnosed with oculocutaneous albinism type 1 (OCA1). On physical exam, the sisters had nominal cutaneous evidence of OCA. This case highlights the difficulty of diagnosing oculocutaneous albinism in Caucasians. Additionally, we emphasize the uncommon underlying genetic mutations observed in individuals with oculocutaneous albinism. 2,5 Introduction people has one of the four types of albinism. of exon 4. Additionally, patient A was found to Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a group of We present a rare case of sisters diagnosed with possess the c.21delC frameshift mutation in the autosomal-recessive conditions characterized by oculocutaneous albinism type 1, emphasizing the C10orf11 gene. Patient B was found to possess the mutations in melanin biosynthesis with resultant uncommon genetic mutations we observed in these same heterozygous mutation and deletion in the two individuals. absence or reduction of melanin in the melanocytes. Figure 1 Melanin-poor, pigment-poor melanocytes phenotypically present as hypopigmentation of the Case Report 1,2 Two Caucasian sisters were referred to our hair, skin, and eyes. dermatology clinic after receiving a diagnosis of There are four genes responsible for the four principal oculocutaneous albinism type 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Throughout the World, Human Skin Color Has Evolved to Be Dark
    AFEATURE ARTICLE FROM... OCTOBER 2002 Throughout the world, human skin color has evolved to be dark enough to prevent sunlight from destroy'ng the nutrient folate but light e ough to foster the production of vitamin By Nina G. Jablonski and George Chaplin Among primates, only humans have a mostly naked skin that comes in different colors. Geogra­ phers and anthropologists have long recognized that the distribution of skin colors among indigenous popula­ tions is not random: darker peoples tend to be found nearer the equator, lighter ones closer to the poles. For years, the prevailing theory has been that darker skins evolved to protect against skin cancer. But a series of dis­ coveries has led us to construct a new framework for understanding the evolutionary basis of variations in hu­ man skin color. Recent epidemiological and physiological evidence suggests to us that the worldwide pattern ofhuman skin color is the product of natural selection acting to regulate the effects ofthe sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation on key nutrients crucial to reproductive success. From Hirsute to Hairless THE EVOLUTION OF SKIN PIGMENTAnON is linked with that ofhairlessness, and to comprehend both these stories, we need to page back in human history. Human beings have been evolving as an independent lineage of apes since at least seven million years ago, when our immediate ancestors diverged from those of our closest relatives, chim­ panzees. Because chimpanzees have changed less over time than humans have, they can provide an idea of what human anatomy and physiology must have been like. Chimpanzees' skin is light in color and is covered by hair over most of their bodies.
    [Show full text]
  • What Does It Mean to Be a Redhead in Literature?
    The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Honors Theses Honors College Spring 5-2015 The Importance of Appearances in Literature: What Does It Mean to Be a Redhead in Literature? Chelsea J. Anderson University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Anderson, Chelsea J., "The Importance of Appearances in Literature: What Does It Mean to Be a Redhead in Literature?" (2015). Honors Theses. 274. https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/274 This Honors College Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi The Importance of Appearances in Literature: What Does It Mean to Be a Redhead in Literature? by Chelsea Anderson A Thesis Submitted to the Honors College of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in the Department of English May 2015 ii Approved by ____________________________________ Alexandra Valint, Ph. D., Thesis Adviser Assistant Professor of English ____________________________________ Eric Tribunella, Ph. D., Chair Department of English ____________________________________ Ellen Weinauer, Ph.D., Dean Honors College iii Abstract In literature, appearances always seem to play a major part of each character. The physical descriptions of each character are important to the development of the story. Therefore, it seems that a character’s physical appearance becomes an important part of character development, and his/her physical traits help to determine the type of character he/she will be.
    [Show full text]
  • Skin and Hair Pigmentation Variation in Island Melanesia
    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 000:000–000 (2006) Skin and Hair Pigmentation Variation in Island Melanesia Heather L. Norton,1 Jonathan S. Friedlaender,2 D. Andrew Merriwether,3 George Koki,4 Charles S. Mgone,4 and Mark D. Shriver1* 1Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 2Department of Anthropology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 3Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, New York 13901 4Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province 441, Papua New Guinea KEY WORDS skin pigmentation; M index; Island Melanesia; natural selection ABSTRACT Skin and hair pigmentation are two of tation was significantly darker than females in 5 of 6 the most easily visible examples of human phenotypic islands examined. Hair pigmentation showed a negative, variation. Selection-based explanations for pigmentation but weak, correlation with age, while skin pigmentation variation in humans have focused on the relationship be- showed a positive, but also weak, correlation with age. tween melanin and ultraviolet radiation, which is largely Skin and hair pigmentation varied significantly between dependent on latitude. In this study, skin and hair pig- islands as well as between neighborhoods within those mentation were measured as the melanin (M) index, us- islands. Bougainvilleans showed significantly darker skin ing narrow-band reflectance spectroscopy for 1,135 indi- than individuals from any other island considered, and viduals from Island Melanesia. Overall, the results show are darker than a previously described African-American remarkable pigmentation variation, given the small geo- population. These findings are discussed in relation to graphic region surveyed.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Colorism: an Ethical Issue and Challenge in Bioethics
    ANEKWE, GLOBAL COLORISM, VOICES IN BIOETHICS, VOL. 1 (2014) Global Colorism: An Ethical Issue and Challenge in Bioethics Obiora Anekwe Keywords: colorism, discrimination, African ancestry, divisions within race Global colorism is seldom discussed in the field of bioethics, but it affects almost every facet of medical practice. The ethical challenge of colorism has global implications that are psychologically, physiologically, sociologically, and medically related. One impacts the other, sometimes without much notice. My goal for this paper is to bring issues related to colorism to light in order to begin the process of holistic healing for people of color who are often the most vulnerable in health care and medicine. Secondly, I hope that this discussion of global colorism will bring forth a greater realization that more research needs to be conducted on the various impacts of colorism in medical practice. What is Colorism? According to Baruti (2000), colorism is a global prejudice that people of African ancestry have toward each other and seemingly use against or to the advantage of themselves and others with relatively similar complexion. Herring (2004) also defines colorism as “discriminatory treatment of individuals falling within the same ‘racial’ group on the basis of skin color” (p. 21). In order to provide a more expansive definition of global colorism, I would like to emphasize in this paper that global colorism may also be promoted and practiced by the oppressed (in this case, people of color) and the oppressor (post-colonialist Caucasians). As such, the term racism, for the purpose of this paper, is referred to as discriminatory power dynamics externally expressed by post-colonialists of European descent through conscious decision-making practices based on the skin tone and complexion of oppressed people of color.
    [Show full text]
  • Anthro Notes : National Museum of Natural History Bulletin for Teachers
    AnthroNotes Volume 32 No. 1 Spring 2011 WHY HUMAN SKIN COMES IN COLORS by Nina G. JabIonski look at a of predicted skin pigmentation, pigmentation provides one of the best examples map human we Skin find that all people are varying shades of brown. The in- of evolution by natural selection acting on the human tensity of their brownness and their ability to tan is related body. The fact that skin color has been so responsive to the UVR in the place where their ancestors came from. to evolutionary forces is fascinating, and one that is impor- societies tant for modern human to understand. Similar In the last 1 0,000 years, we have gotten better and skin colors — both dark and light — have evolved indepen- better at protecting ourselves against the extremes of UVR dently multiple times in human history. When we think of by cultural means. Sewn clothing and constructed shelters how races have been defined in the past using skin color, now protect us from strong sunlight and augment the pro- we can immediately see the problem. When the same skin tection afforded by natural melanin pigmentation. In far color has evolved many times independently in different northern environments, diets composed of vitamin D-rich places, its value as a unique maker of identity is eliminated foods like oily fish and marine mammals supplement the and the race so defined is rendered nonsensical. We are all vitamin D we can make in our skin under low UVR con- "hue-mans"! ditions. The major problem we face today is that we are able to travel so far so fast.
    [Show full text]